


Fright Night

by frapandfurious



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Getting Together, Haunted House, Huxloween, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-20 13:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8250355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frapandfurious/pseuds/frapandfurious
Summary: He couldn't let Hux know he was scared, no matter what. He'd spent too long cultivating the little bit of solidarity he had with his crush and wasn't about to ruin it now.





	

**Author's Note:**

> An amusement park near me holds an event nights in October where there are different haunted trails/houses to walk through plus food and rides and games and it served as great spooky inspiration for the Huxloween Day 9 prompt: Haunted House

Kylo stayed as close to Hux from behind as he could without being too obvious. He couldn't let Hux know he was scared, no matter what. He'd spent too long cultivating the little bit of solidarity he had with his crush and wasn't about to ruin it now.

 

He took a deep breath to steel himself as they entered the next haunted attraction. They’d already been through cemetery, zombie, and science lab themed haunts. This one was more of a classic: a haunted house.

 

As soon as they hit the near pitch blackness, Kylo shuddered. He could only just make out Hux's form in front of him and it took every bit of self-restraint he had not to reach out and grasp onto the back of his jacket or hold his hand. He kept his hands shoved into his hoodie pocket and hunched a little, hoping it would be over soon. 

 

He knew none of it was real, just actors and props and sound effects and well-timed jump scares. Yet it never failed to unnerve him.

 

He'd never even have voluntarily come to something like this if Phasma hadn't invited him along with their group, knowing both that Hux would also be going and that Kylo had been silently pining after him for months.

 

They turned a corner into more darkness. Suddenly, a shape emerged from the shadows and screamed.

 

Kylo jumped and clenched his eyes shut, barely suppressing a shout.

 

He felt himself bump against something.

 

Peeking one eye open, he saw that Hux had jumped back away from the figure. And directly into Kylo's chest.

 

Kylo froze, unsure if he should say or do anything.

 

Hux huffed an unsteady laugh and stepped away.

 

"Sorry Kylo," he whispered over his shoulder.

 

"'S fine."

 

They kept moving. Kylo tried his best to control his jumping and surprised yelps.

 

They entered a cold, damp basement. Kylo shuddered again. This couldn't mean anything good.

 

He was proven right when suddenly dozens of far too realistic looking spiders dropped down from the ceiling around them, sending the group into a fit of flailing and squealing and laughing. Rather than do either, Hux had frozen with his shoulders drawn up to his ears and his fists clenched at his sides.

 

"Is there one on me?" He hissed out.

 

"They're not..."

 

"I _know_ they aren't real but they _feel_ real. Is. There. One. On. Me?”

 

Kylo examined him quickly.

 

"N-no, you're good."

 

Some of Hux's tension eased.

 

"Thank you," he muttered, clearly embarrassed.

 

Kylo wasn't about to mock him. If anything, it was something of a relief to know even the infallible Armitage Hux had fears like anyone else.

 

Their group kept moving forward and they hurried to catch up, Kylo allowing himself to stand fractionally closer this time.

 

The next section, a narrow hallway, was eerily quiet, which surely meant something awful was coming. The silence was beginning to drive Kylo out of his mind when suddenly...

 

_BANG!_

 

A wooden panel crashed aside revealing a grotesque figure reaching towards them.

 

Kylo screamed and grabbed at the first thing he could reach, eyes squeezed shut.

 

Panting as he came down from the shock, he opened his eyes and saw that he had both hands fisted in the fabric of Hux’s jacket sleeve.

 

More alarming, however, was the fact that Hux had whirled towards him and was grabbing at the front of Kylo’s sweatshirt with his free hand. He had screamed, too, Kylo realized belatedly.

 

Their eyes met and they both quickly let go of each other. Kylo was grateful for the darkness; it meant Hux couldn’t see how red his face surely was.

 

“S-sorry,” Kylo mumbled.

 

“Me too.”

 

“Why is it so quiet?”

 

“...oh no. They kept going without us.”

 

“O-oh.” Kylo reached his hand towards Hux’s shirt again, but he caught himself and stopped halfway. He began to pull it back and was stopped when Hux lightly grabbed his wrist.

 

“We need to stick together,” he said matter-of-factly.

 

“Right. Yeah. Definitely.” Kylo agreed enthusiastically.

 

Hux released his hand but stayed close, moving forward again. After a moment, Kylo let his hand settle on Hux’s back, not pushing or gripping, just letting him know he was there. He hoped it was not unwelcome.

 

One of Hux’s hands reached back to feel around blindly until he found a bit of Kylo’s hoodie again and clutched it tightly in his fist, just over Kylo’s stomach. Only then did Kylo let himself latch onto the fabric under his hand.

 

They moved slowly through the dark together. Each time something jumped out or popped up or made a loud sound, they’d shout in unison and move closer together. Before they knew it, they were pressed side-to-side, holding onto each other for dear life.

 

Kylo wished they were anywhere but here. He finally had Hux in his arms and he couldn’t even fully appreciate it, and soon it would be over.

 

Sure enough, after one final, awful room, they glimpsed a sliver of light indicating the door to exit. They hurried to it together and burst through.

 

As soon as the door shut behind them, they both sighed in relief. Hux began to chuckle; Kylo quickly joined him, until they were both laughing off the nervous energy, standing in the lamplight still grasping at each other. Their classmates were nowhere to be seen, probably hadn’t even noticed they were gone yet.

 

When their laughter died down, Kylo began to feel a pang of disappointment. He’d have to let go now, or it would get weird. So he began to disentangle himself from Hux’s grip.

 

Hux’s head darted up to look at him, his face suddenly serious and…something else. His brow was furrowed and mouth turned down, head tilted questioningly.

 

A cool fall breeze rustled the fallen leaves around them. Hux shivered and unthinkingly stepped closer to Kylo’s warmth, almost huddled against his broad chest. Rather than continue pulling away, Kylo looped his arms around Hux and held him.

 

“Um…” He began.

 

“Yes?”

 

The gust of wind had passed but Hux seemed reluctant to move away. Kylo wondered if he could hear how rapidly his heart was beating.

 

“You…probably need a warmer coat.”

 

Hux shifted so he could more effectively glare at him, though there was no real hostility in it.

 

“For the record, I wasn’t even planning on being out here tonight. I was halfway to that coffee shop just off campus to do some studying when Phasma talked me into coming.”

 

Kylo couldn’t help smiling.

 

“How’d she rope you into it?”

 

Hux paused. He took a deep breath.

 

“She told me you were coming.”

 

Kylo was sure he stopped breathing for a moment.

 

“She…wait… _what_?”

 

Hux went tense in his arms.

 

“Oh, hell. I’ve completely misread this, haven’t I.” Hux stepped back, leaving Kylo feeling suddenly cold. “I just thought…nevermind. Forget I said anything, please.”

 

“That’s why I’m here too,” Kylo blurted out before Hux could turn away. “Phasma told me you’d be here. I hate these things.”

 

Hux searched his face; Kylo had never seen him this nervous before, not even right before exams. His words echoed through Kylo’s mind. Hope planted itself in Kylo’s chest and grew and grew.

 

“You hate them too, don’t you?”  


Hux nodded.

 

“I came here thinking I’d impress you by going through the whole thing without flinching,” Kylo continued, shoving his hands into his pockets awkwardly. “But I didn’t even make it two minutes.”

 

To Kylo’s relief, that made Hux crack a smile and move closer.

 

“Funny, I thought the same thing.” He held his hand out. “What do you say we skip the next one?”

 

“What is it?”  
  
“Circus themed.”

 

Kylo shuddered.

 

“Yeah, I’ll pass. I saw a food stand near the entrance.”

 

“Perfect. Let me buy you a hot apple cider?”  


“Only if you let me buy you one,” Kylo replied with a shy smile as he slipped his hand into Hux’s.

 

Neither of them felt bad ditching the rest of their group. Instead, they got cider and candy apples and enjoyed their first of many evenings together.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://obsessions-and-dreams.tumblr.com/)


End file.
